Hubballi (Karnataka), Sep 5 (IANS) Reacting to the visit of a delegation of eight religious seers to the office of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Jain monk Gunadhar Nandi Maharaj has said that the Union Minister had assured the delegation of action against the conspirators in the alleged Dharmasthala murder cases located in Karnataka’s Mangaluru after convening a meeting on September 8.
Speaking to IANS on Thursday, Gunadhar Nandi Maharaj said, “Union Home Minister Amit Shah told the delegation comprising of seven sadhus and one of our mathadheesh, that he is closely monitoring developments regarding the alleged Dharmasthala murder cases and that he is also convening a special meeting on September 8 in this regard. Amit Shah assured us that directions would be issued to initiate action against the conspirators afterwards.”
“A delegation of eight seers had gone to Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s residence in Delhi and spoke with him for about 45 minutes, discussing the Dharmasthala issue. The delegation highlighted the propaganda and high-handedness of various forces against Hindu and Jain religions. We also discussed the injustice, conspiracy, and allegations in the Dharmasthala case,” the Jain monk added.
“Union Minister Amit Shah, with full conviction, assured us of bringing a new legislation against conspiracies aimed at destroying Indian, Jain, and Hindu cultures in the coming days. We had requested this, and he assured us that a new law would be introduced to prevent attacks and conspiracies on religious matters,” he said.
The Jain monk added, “At present, there is no control over social media, and it lacks an accountability mechanism like the electronic media. Union Minister Amit Shah assured us that if anyone spreads falsehoods, a law would be brought to ensure the removal of such content within 24 hours.”
Likewise, Union Minister Amit Shah also spoke about measures to address the murders of sages and conspiracies against them across the country.
“The Dharmasthala matter is a major conspiracy. If there is a big controversy in the country today, it is being engineered around the Dharmasthala case. They claim without evidence that 300 to 400 murders have taken place,” Gunadhar Nandi Maharaj said.
“By making such baseless claims, they have created pressure on people,” he concluded.
A delegation of religious seers under the banner of ‘Sanatana Sant Niyog’ from Karnataka met Union Home Minister Shah in Delhi and demanded that the alleged Dharmasthala murder cases be handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
The delegation was led by Vachanananda Swamiji of Veerashaiva Lingayat Panchamasali Peeth in Harihara, along with seven other prominent religious seers.
The delegation submitted a memorandum to Union Minister Shah, saying that Dharmasthala was being targeted in the same way as other Hindu pilgrimage centres such as Sabarimala and Tirupati.
The seers said they had no objection to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe but stressed that the conspiracy against the temple town of Dharmasthala must be exposed, which is why the case should be handed over to the NIA.
Speaking to the media, Vachanananda Swamiji said, “Union Minister Amit Shah has complete details of the developments surrounding the Dharmasthala case. He also collected additional information from us regarding the conspiracy against Dharmasthala and the progress of the SIT investigation. We conveyed that the SIT formed by the state government lacks clarity. Union Minister Shah assured us that he will review the matter carefully and take a suitable decision.”
Karnataka Home Minister G. Parameshwara said on Thursday that allegations regarding foreign funding in the alleged Dharmasthala mass grave case would have to be examined by the Central government.
His statement has gained significance amid strong demands by the BJP, JD-S, and Hindu organisations to hand over the case to the NIA.
Commenting on demand for the NIA probe into Dharmasthala case, Parameshwara said, “Initially, they (Opposition) disapproved of the SIT and are now demanding an NIA probe. The investigation will remain the same.”
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has already been gathering information regarding foreign funding and tracking the bank accounts of activists involved against the temple authorities, according to sources.
–IANS
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